Ever heard of African time? It is frustrating and annoying. Keeping time is always best but if everyone around you is perpetually late you kind of get tired of waiting on everyone and adapt to their time.
I'm from Germany and most Germans also value punctuality. Maybe not as much as Japanese people but especially in business situations being punctual is still really important.
I always try to be at least 15 minutes early for an appointment or meeting. When I was a young child and had to rely on my mother to get me places on time, she was often running late and that always bothered me. I attribute my aversion to tardiness to the fact that my mother was often tardy.
There are studies that show why some colder parts of the world highly value time (and the word “deadline” was born). It would have to do with their survival in harsh seasonal times of the year and harvesting. Other countries, closer to the equator handled time very differently. With the same weather year round, their perception of time was not as crucial as those that lived in the north where there could be scarcity of food. The point is, cultural norms have their root in something. They also vary among people on earth, and it’s important to be both respectful and tolerant of one another’s cultures. No one culture is right or wrong; we are just different.
Tiffany Brown Whoa! Such interesting info. I’d like to read more on the topic of how geography/climate shape civilizations, is there a word for that? Any reading you would recommend?
rainfrog I actually learned about it at a seminar I went to a few years ago. It was fascinating!! I’ve been trying to get a copy of the presentation for a while. I’ll try again and if it was video recorded maybe I can post it on RUclips. I’ll let you know. :)
When I went to America for my study I was shocked like "What time do you guys visit my home?" "From 9am to 5pm" "No, No What exact time do you guys mean?" "From 9am to 5pm" I don't know how Americans can deal with their internet providers Lol
I'm an American living in Japan. All Internet providers who have connected it for me at my home have it the exact same thing....like " we will be there between 12 and 5" the time is slightly shorter but I had to wait two weeks for my appointment day,which was awful.
"It's about respecting the other person's time." That is sooo true. I'm a very punctual person. I understand that things can go wrong on rare occasions, but I have little patience for people who don't even bother to send a text if they're 5+ minutes lates and/or people who can never show up on time for anything. It makes me think they consider their time more valuable than my own. It's disrespectful in personal life and unprofessional in business! Though I know that the concept of punctuality can be very different depending on your culture.
Well, if we're talking about the Americas, then sure, punctuality isn't valued as much. For me, as I've grown up in Germany, that emphasis on punctuality is about the same, however public transport rarely lives up to that here. Japan sounds like a dream come true in that respect :D
I grew up in NZ and normally when something like a play starts at 5pm people would arrive 5 minutes before or if it's a little meetup they'd show up 5-10 minutes late and no one really cares.
There are pockets in the American South where attitudes are more relaxed, but most places I've lived in America highly value being on time. I think your point about public transport is great though.
I was just going to comment about the punctuality in Germany but you did already it haha. Since I grew up in Germany as well I wasn’t really surprised about the guy who’d arrive half an hour earlier for a work based appointment. I really value being on time
I remember my German teacher saying that if you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late. A ‘German Boss’ channel would be fascinating!
I'm sure there are plenty of people with a channel dedicated to explaining German things. I think you'd be running out of topics soon if you were to attempt a German Boss though. However, a European Boss of some sorts would indeed be an interesting idea.
I really like this mentality of not inconveniencing others by making them wait. I am pretty much always on time, usually early, and always let the person know if I'm gonna be more than 5 minutes late. I find it quite rude when people don't do the same for me.
My co-workers (same position as mine) arrive late most of the time and I tell them to arrive on time at least once a week. They all tell me to chill/calm down. I was raised in Japan so I understand the importance of punctuality. This pisses me off every now and then.
Joseph maybe I should've elaborated more on the type of job but that's not the point. As the interviewers said, it inconveniences people because in my case, i end up doing tasks/duties they're supposed to be doing. It gets busy around the time they're supposed to start. It shouldn't be too difficult to comprehend.
Well, why don't you arrive late as well then? Based on your comment, your workplace is not in Japan so you are the one who should adapt to the countries' culture.
that's just for a weak person i mean why don't people try to deal with their schedule. You have to show up at 9, so show up at 9 like that's the right thing to do
Punctuality is always subject to the context, as well. Arriving late for work appointments = no-go. Meeting friends somewhere and arriving late = not polite. And so on. But on the other hand, being invited over to a friend's place and (say for example) said friend will cook for you or needs to prepare things, I was taught it polite to arrive on time or a little bit later. That's supposed to allow the other person to finish before you arrive and not answer the door in an unfashionable apron.
I’m still curious how this became such a dominant part of their culture. The way cultures develop and what becomes important over time is fascinating. Thanks for the insight into Japanese norms! I’m learning a lot.
I am Japanese but living outside Japan, partly because I could not deal with this super punctual culture. It was huge pressure for me to be punctual regardless of any reason.
It's because of the warm culture, people in India feel like they are all a one big family, you don't have yo respect your friends time or whatever the heck the event is. Am I right in my claim?
I believe it's really important for someone to be punctual! If you keep someone waiting you show them that you don't care about them enough to arrive at the time you agreed on. You also take away time that could be spent with the person you're meeting with. And it shows the person you don't care about their day. Interrupting their schedule could change their entire day and make them be late in turn. Just respect a person and be on tume. Bonus points if you're early
I love how detailed and substantial your interviews are. I really appreciate the efforts done as I feel like I get a sincere insight from some of the population of the country. Major props!!
I have a lot of Japanese friends and whenever I invite them they always show up 30 mins or one hour late, sometimes they apologize, sometimes they don't, I guess they're only punctual when in Japan. I live in France btw
In Germany, if it’s a business or ‘official’ appointment, it’s advised to be 25-30 minutes earlier. Being too early, let’s say an hour, is considered impolite.
I live in Australia where in general things are pretty relaxed.. but i learned about punctuality as a young lad when i started working for ALDI supermarkets. For those who don’t know about ALDI, its a german supermarket and ALDI Australia used exact same rules and systems as ALDI in Germany. Employees were expected to arrive 15 minutes prior to starting his/her shift and if you arrived 10 minutes early, they would give you the shits and even a written warning (2 written warnings could get you disciplinary action & even fired..) Mind you, those 15 minutes aren’t paid either. Whilst it did make work more efficient ,the efficiency came at the cost of the individual’s time. The germans really know how to extract every bit of labour out of an employee each day and night. I guess that is what made them successful. But In case of the Japanese, i think it has more to do with respect for others.
It always depends on where the person is from, there is already a huge difference in Europe between the countries, for example germans tend to be on time and italien are said to be more chilled and dont take time that serious.
I am always punctual (barring unforeseen circumstances). Punctuality is a mark of commitment and a sign of respect for the others who have accorded you their time and company from their schedules.
I would love it if Swedes were more punctual; I'm pretty punctual myself and always try to arrive well before I'm supposed to be somewhere, and I can get annoyed even if someone I'm meeting is five mins late. It doesn't help that Stockholm's public transport is a complete disaster with trains, metro and buses being late more often than they're on time, either. I'd probably be right at home in Japan, and I wouldn't even think about it if my train arrived twenty seconds early or six seconds late. That sounds amazing in comparison to what I have to live with here.
@femtondeseptember happy Christmas!! I'm irish and our public transport isn't the best either although it has improved a ton!! I would love to revisit Sweden, keep warm in your Baltic winter :)
femtondeseptember I am quite surprised. My city has quite a large population of Swedes and those of Swedish descent. My impression is they have always been very punctual.
This is another reason that made me love Japan even more. When I visited Japan, it was like a dream come true. All I have to do is study their language and culture, save enough money to live in Japan.
As a person who's always late for everything all the time, this video really made me think about how much I'm always inconveniencing others. Will definitely try and put in the effort, and learn from the Japanese. Thanks for the great upload as always! :)
We Filipinos are known to be tardy: your friends say the time but they don't show up after an hour or two. 😂 I'm always early before the time and it is irritating to wait after the said time. When my friends are late, I make sure that they treat me to something😂
Jade lu It’s like that in LA latino culture too! I had to learn that. They’re just very casual about meetings and arrangements in general, took me some getting used to.
Very frustrating and they dont even apologize or make up for it. It's like how punctuality in japan is part of their culture is how tardiness is part of ours. That's why i always give em 30min and if they still dont show up, im out.
I agree on what most of them said, about being late for 5-10 and apologizes right away when meeting someone is acceptable and that they should let the other person know that they’re going to be late. For business meetings and work, I would say being punctual is really important. What the train did, “apologizing for being early “ is quite extensive because Japanese I know are very understand and it’s not that much of a big deal being early or late for a minute.
Love these interviews!! It's like an early Christmas present 😂😂 PS. Please do a video in Taiwan!!! And you guys should make a video about like biracial people in Asia!!
I agree. Arriving early indeed shows respect for other people's times. I also think of a person to be more responsible and trustworthy if he/she consistently arrives early for meetings. I live in Brazil and I think I care more about punctuality than most people.
"Foreigners" aren't a single people or entity. Some "foreigners" are known for being more punctual than others. Japanese aren't that unique when it comes to punctuality.
I learnt my lesson the hard way, when I was late for the bus back on tour in Japan. Tour guide yelled at me, questioning why I was late. I couldn't tell her I got lost in the moment of photographing Mt Fuji, so I just sat there, apologised and copped it from her. Definitely brought the mood down on the bus. People on the tour later came up to me and said I took that pretty well, I apologised them but they said "we're all on holiday, what's the rush?" It will be forever etched in my memory! Moral of the story is pretty obvious but more so important with the Japanese and possibly Germans.
I'm super punctual in comparison for others around me . Whenever i'm asked to arrive at a particular time i usually arrive before that . It's basically what i learnt from my parents. If due to some reason i'm not on time i feel discomfort because of that. The whole day is a mess for me because of that.
Please do an interview about one of the Filipino traits which is the “Filipino time” (usually late) . I would be glad to be asked on that interview . 🙏 I admire Asian Boss for featuring the diversity and differences of Asian people in general. More power to our channel ♥️👍🏼🇵🇭
I'm Indonesian born Chinese who used to live in Indonesia until I was 10 years old. In terms of punctuality, I'm very punctual to the point that I text to the people who I'm meeting for the day (usually friends for lunch dates or day out) even if I'm late for like 5 minutes. Or say sorry if I'm late for 2 minutes. If my friends were 5 or 10 minutes late, I'll get worried and text them asking them where they are. I usually plan out how many hours it'll take me to get ready from waking up, taking a shower, do my make up, dry my hair, how long it takes me to walk to the nearest bus stop or the train station, to how long it takes to get to the meeting place/point. I tend to break my prep times in 30 minutes segments hahaha, so I can take my time and not rush. And then I usually end up arriving up to 20 minutes early :). Personally, I'm not very good at waiting for people when I'm meeting up with friends and stuff like that, including family members loll.
It's not just simply being annoyed. Time is the ultimate resource. You can take away material goods and money, but you can always undo it or even give back with interest. Once you take someone's time, you can't give it back.
I am late with my comments here because I live on the other side of planet earth. I live in a different time zone. Being on time I think is very important, because it shows what kind of principles you have and respect. In nature the sun rise and set at a certain time and the moon rise and go away at a certain time. Everything work on a time clock.
Okay but how about the japanese students I taught just outside of Tokyo that were often late for their English lessons... and I'm talking grown adults who are paying for said lessons, not school kids. I think it really depends on the person and situation honestly.
As an American I was in many countries. Many of whom have the same philosophy. Germany, 1987- an old lady had her arm shut in the door by the driver of a strassenbahn because she took too long. They were very stressed out from the monitoring and procedures they had to follow to prove their punctuality.
Though leaving early is not a good idea, but coming late is acceptable. In India we are used 20 hours delay in arrival of the trains and yet we enjoyed it. Once a teacher talked so much about punctuality to his students and unfortunately came late to the station. When the students asked him about this the teacher calmly replied to them that the train may arrive late but not the passengers. So leaving early is not a good option and try to learn the same from Indian railways.
Filipinos commonly arrive 30 minutes or even more than an hour late. it's so typical in my country that we have a term for arriving (really) late. we call it "filipino time". "hey. dont you have an appointment at 9am?" "dont worry. filipino time. it'll start at around 10."
Tokyo =/= Japan. Tokyo is a city of 30 million people, and everyone is rushing towards somewhere all the time. Trains are packed 24/7. Even a 15 seconds mismatch could cause an accident, it is essential to be precise and punctual for a big city like Tokyo.
People in Canada are ALWAYS late. It’s a standard thing to expect that every appointment with anyone will be delayed/later than the scheduled time. I always arrive to things 15-30 minutes early and can’t remember the last time I was late for something. I was going to make it on time for an interview and I ran to the office from like 2 km away because I wasn’t going to be early. I ended up having to wait like 15 minutes to start my interview anyways.
I lived in Kobe for a couple of years and my Japanese friend were the one who were late... like I am French I don’t mind waiting 30 min but it happens more than once than I’ve waited for an hour 😂😂 they bought me drinks like “sorry for the late” but I was okay since they said to me in advance that they may be late so I was able to ぶらぶら I think Kobe is really a multicultural city and maybe the 影響 from the foreigner community is strong xD Happened only in Kobe though My friend from Kyoto/Osaka were always on time or 5min late so 😅😅 Kansai is not Tokyo xD
In NYC, MTA's trains can arrive 1 hour later and... It is completely okay. Or MTA's trains can suddenly change its route...it is completely okay. Or MTA's employees can miss some stations...it is completely okay. The company doesn't even bother to be punctual.
Lol. I have a love-hate relationship with punctuality. I can't bring myself to wake up to my alarms or follow a daily-whatever schedule for myself (like arriving to classes and such), yet when it comes to other obligations that involve me having to do something for someone else, I get anxious as shit when I'm not there on time. I just want to be more punctual with myself overall, I think I deserve that too xD
I live in the US and I’m punctual and arrive about 5 -10 minutes early like some of the people in the video, and earlier if the situation calls for it. I am Asian too though. I don’t know if I’d generalize that most Americans are not punctual, because it’s not like we’re not taught it. But I also know coworkers who come in late often because people aren’t as considerate over here as in Japan. That’s nice that Japanese people don’t want to make people wait and that they want to build trust by being on time.
damn my train is late a quarter hour each and everyday..hello from Germany! (btw thats considered good when you compare it to other countries around the globe)
I can't say I'm punctual, I often arrive 5-10 minutes late, occasionally up to an hour, but my friends don't mind that because they know I'm reliable when it really matters. When it's something really important for them I won't mind spending a few hours of my day (that also means being half an hour or so early when timing is critical) to help them and run late for other, less important things.
When i read about this incident i was so frustrated, last summer in my country in Africa a fifty year old man was waiting at the train station with his wife , the man had diabetes and heart disease, the train was late for over two hours, and of course nobody showed up for an apology, the man started to get angry and anxious, his wife tried to calm him down as much as she could , but he was so angry that he started to shake screaming « where is the manager » , he was looking for someone to give him any information, and of course nobody showed up , suddenly the man started to shake so badly that fell on the floor, he died from a heart attack , leaving his wife alone on that train station, .
I generally try to reach places 10-15 mins before. Don't like wasting other people's time and also hate being late. But also kind of have a pet peeve when people arrive late. It's like, there was a scheduled time to meet, are you are late for no reason. Or if say one train arrives at a destination 10 mins early and the next 10mins late, catch the early one.
It was stressing to keep up with friends in Japan. When my Japanese friends texted me, they expected a response right away, but I'm not very good at that. I always have my phone on silent, so I would answer them later. I straight up lost friendships like that. A girl told me that I didn't value our friendship enough and that if I kept acting that way, she wouldn't want to see me again. They don't joke around with ponctuality.
This is true and now I am crying. I feel like I broke a company's trust because I was late on Sunday by thirty minutes. I was on time for a part-time job but because of misguided directions (the directions was for a different place), I was late. The boss was ok because I cried while apologizing. But, my classmate criticized me by saying"You Americans can just show up to work 30 minutes late because that is YOUR culture" (I was not trying to be late on purpose) and "Being punctuality about being on time" and "You should come 30 minutes earlier to figure out stuff". Now I feel like I am an idiot and on the bad side of the company. ;(
I worked with Japanese vendors and colleagues. They really value punctuality even if after they have lived overseas for a long time. It’s an ingrained trait that’s very admirable. Kei, are you wearing a long padded coat like the trend in Korea? 😜😀
I thought I was a pretty punctual person until I started visiting Japan. I realized by being on time meeting friends, I'm already late because they've been waiting there at least 10 minutes before the appointed time. Now, whenever I meet someone there or have an appointment, I make sure I arrive 10 minutes to half an hour early to give myself some leeway for getting lost.
I always try to be punctual. But it's hard sometimes when buses and trains are so extremely unreliable. Japan is at the forefront of this. They beg for forgiveness for an error in the time schedule of 20 seconds. In my country, they flat out write on the time tables that buses and trains may arrive around 5 minutes early or 5 minutes later than the listed time in the schedule. And that's considered a "normal" everyday error. Sometimes they're held up for several hours if you're really unlucky. But if that happens, then naturally you call or text the people you're supposed to meet and tell them what happened. Even though the Japanese deem punctuality to be important, I don't think they would consider it reasonable to depart several hours on beforehand just to guarantee that you don't get screwed over by tardy train or bus traffic.
I arrive 3 hours early at all my appointments. If necessary, I sleep outside the building in order to be on time the next day. I would hate for the train to be out of service for some reason and me being unable to take it and reach my appointment premises. You never know. Sometimes I arrive so early for an appointment that I miss another one that I had before it. My punctuality mindset always plays dirty little tricks on me. In the end, I spend my life focusing on punctuality and work, but I feel miserable. I am contemplating seeing a psychiatrist for my problem, but it will just add more appointments again to my busy schedule. I wish I was more easy-going in life but sadly I was raised under the precepts of Japanese's punctuality and work ethics. On a more serious note, I think being punctual is cool.
Haha so true. I was in Japan a couple of months ago and met Japanese friends and we were always a bit late. They seem unamused but they were more lenient to us bc we're foreigners.
I use the bus a lot (even tho I live in Houston and having a car is a must) and it really pisses me off how late the buses are sometimes. They usually do come on time it in the instance of them being late they're often 30 minutes late.
i hate being late. i used to hate it so much i'd rather skip class (during school) than being late. i went to study abroad for college and i used to arrive an hour early so i can have time to change into my uniform, prepare the materials for the class etc. same for work, always came 30min-1hr early. i don't really think about what others will think about me when i'm late it's more like myself hate being late. i'm not really sure but i heard japanese doesn't really feel comfortable when people come too early too. last time i got an appointment for haircut (when i was living in japan) and waited outside (bc i came early) and walked in 5 min before the appointment. was it the right thing to do or is it okay just to wait inside?
I think we (the Dutch) also have punctuality in common with the Japanese. It’s definitely being frowned upon if you can’t meet on a agreed time. I do think that our train company should take notes from the Japanese tho because they only have a little over 91% punctuality score and that’s with a time slot of 5 minutes over and under their scheduled time of arrival.
In Italy, if you're 10-15 minutes late, you're actually on time (talking about going out with your friends for example)😂 but at work or at formal events punctuality is generally respected most of the time.
In Italy all people are late in meetings. I love to be punctual in a meeting but I am so slow to prepare in the morning so I will arrive always late. But I'll want to be super punctual in any meeting in the future and to be trusted from any people in particular Japanese and Scandinavian people where punctuality is a strong value !
I couldn't comment in a timely manner! I guess I'm not punctual at all hehe
How punctual are you?
Hi Hiroko, always love your work on Asian Boss. Thank you and I'll be more punctual in the future.
Ever heard of African time? It is frustrating and annoying. Keeping time is always best but if everyone around you is perpetually late you kind of get tired of waiting on everyone and adapt to their time.
I'm from Germany and most Germans also value punctuality. Maybe not as much as Japanese people but especially in business situations being punctual is still really important.
Hey Hiroko you did an amazing job. I guess I just learned its not ok to be fashionably late with friends thanks to you :)
I always try to be at least 15 minutes early for an appointment or meeting. When I was a young child and had to rely on my mother to get me places on time, she was often running late and that always bothered me. I attribute my aversion to tardiness to the fact that my mother was often tardy.
Damn the haircut is lit !
Which one?
There are studies that show why some colder parts of the world highly value time (and the word “deadline” was born). It would have to do with their survival in harsh seasonal times of the year and harvesting. Other countries, closer to the equator handled time very differently. With the same weather year round, their perception of time was not as crucial as those that lived in the north where there could be scarcity of food. The point is, cultural norms have their root in something. They also vary among people on earth, and it’s important to be both respectful and tolerant of one another’s cultures. No one culture is right or wrong; we are just different.
That's super interesting and makes complete sense
I just wish the London trains kept that attitude up lol
Tiffany Brown Whoa! Such interesting info. I’d like to read more on the topic of how geography/climate shape civilizations, is there a word for that? Any reading you would recommend?
rainfrog I actually learned about it at a seminar I went to a few years ago. It was fascinating!! I’ve been trying to get a copy of the presentation for a while. I’ll try again and if it was video recorded maybe I can post it on RUclips. I’ll let you know. :)
BelizeHunni Singapore train too 😥
we all had one friend that always late for 1 hour to gatherings so we always lied about the meeting time one hour earlier to that guy
lmao had this happening to me a few times
Garmz666 My friend is always 1 hour late, each time she has a huge excuse. So I have to do the same
why don't you teach him, tell him the meeting time is 2 hours early and let's see how he feels about it.
horrible friend
I love these interviews. 🙌
I'm ridiculously on time for everything, and I've spent so much of my life just waiting for people to show up 😭 it's such a pain.
When I went to America for my study I was shocked like "What time do you guys visit my home?" "From 9am to 5pm" "No, No What exact time do you guys mean?" "From 9am to 5pm" I don't know how Americans can deal with their internet providers Lol
your nuna even in the U.K. this is annoying everywhere
You see we play the game where we try to fit our schedule around the provider and hope to god we dont book them again.
I wouldn't compare a private business with the society punctuallity, but well.
your nuna they say that because they don't know how long it will take in each house before yours.
I'm an American living in Japan. All Internet providers who have connected it for me at my home have it the exact same thing....like " we will be there between 12 and 5" the time is slightly shorter but I had to wait two weeks for my appointment day,which was awful.
"It's about respecting the other person's time." That is sooo true. I'm a very punctual person. I understand that things can go wrong on rare occasions, but I have little patience for people who don't even bother to send a text if they're 5+ minutes lates and/or people who can never show up on time for anything. It makes me think they consider their time more valuable than my own. It's disrespectful in personal life and unprofessional in business! Though I know that the concept of punctuality can be very different depending on your culture.
Well, if we're talking about the Americas, then sure, punctuality isn't valued as much. For me, as I've grown up in Germany, that emphasis on punctuality is about the same, however public transport rarely lives up to that here. Japan sounds like a dream come true in that respect :D
I grew up in NZ and normally when something like a play starts at 5pm people would arrive 5 minutes before or if it's a little meetup they'd show up 5-10 minutes late and no one really cares.
There are pockets in the American South where attitudes are more relaxed, but most places I've lived in America highly value being on time. I think your point about public transport is great though.
I was just going to comment about the punctuality in Germany but you did already it haha. Since I grew up in Germany as well I wasn’t really surprised about the guy who’d arrive half an hour earlier for a work based appointment. I really value being on time
I remember my German teacher saying that if you’re early, you’re on time, and if you’re on time, you’re late.
A ‘German Boss’ channel would be fascinating!
I'm sure there are plenty of people with a channel dedicated to explaining German things. I think you'd be running out of topics soon if you were to attempt a German Boss though. However, a European Boss of some sorts would indeed be an interesting idea.
I really like this mentality of not inconveniencing others by making them wait. I am pretty much always on time, usually early, and always let the person know if I'm gonna be more than 5 minutes late. I find it quite rude when people don't do the same for me.
I've always had the habbit to arrive early, I just wish I wasn't a lazy ass at everything else lmao
My co-workers (same position as mine) arrive late most of the time and I tell them to arrive on time at least once a week. They all tell me to chill/calm down. I was raised in Japan so I understand the importance of punctuality.
This pisses me off every now and then.
Joseph Japanese don't care if you're just a co-worker to them it's about RESPECT.....
Joseph maybe I should've elaborated more on the type of job but that's not the point. As the interviewers said, it inconveniences people because in my case, i end up doing tasks/duties they're supposed to be doing. It gets busy around the time they're supposed to start. It shouldn't be too difficult to comprehend.
Well, why don't you arrive late as well then? Based on your comment, your workplace is not in Japan so you are the one who should adapt to the countries' culture.
SuperAvocado that not the right mentality bro.
that's just for a weak person i mean why don't people try to deal with their schedule. You have to show up at 9, so show up at 9 like that's the right thing to do
In America you're lucky if a subway/train arrives 10 minutes late!
Same as in germany... but still you have to be punctual. Since it's a private business, it has no effect on our society anyway.
Logical I guess.
Yep.
lol, subway, train and bus schedules are just suggestions
frzferdinand72 😂😂😂
frzferdinand72 In India a train can be 12 hours late or sometimes even longer. You guys are lucky.
Punctuality is always subject to the context, as well. Arriving late for work appointments = no-go. Meeting friends somewhere and arriving late = not polite. And so on. But on the other hand, being invited over to a friend's place and (say for example) said friend will cook for you or needs to prepare things, I was taught it polite to arrive on time or a little bit later. That's supposed to allow the other person to finish before you arrive and not answer the door in an unfashionable apron.
I’m still curious how this became such a dominant part of their culture. The way cultures develop and what becomes important over time is fascinating. Thanks for the insight into Japanese norms! I’m learning a lot.
I'm that person that's 10 minutes early without fail
I am Japanese but living outside Japan, partly because I could not deal with this super punctual culture. It was huge pressure for me to be punctual regardless of any reason.
Azumi Osawa I’m more of a unorganized person, but I’ll try my best as long as I want to go to japan, lol.
We have so called "Philippines time" here. They arrived two hours late and sometimes those who are late will laugh at you for being on time 😏
BTS & ARMY World probably south east asian time because indonesian and malaysian have it too
BTS & ARMY World ARMY💞
Lea Wilson Hi fam 💕
In India it's totally opposite, I've been mocked many times to be on time 😂
It's because of the warm culture, people in India feel like they are all a one big family, you don't have yo respect your friends time or whatever the heck the event is.
Am I right in my claim?
Merry Christmas to all of you
Have a wonderful memoryful day !!!!
I believe it's really important for someone to be punctual!
If you keep someone waiting you show them that you don't care about them enough to arrive at the time you agreed on. You also take away time that could be spent with the person you're meeting with.
And it shows the person you don't care about their day. Interrupting their schedule could change their entire day and make them be late in turn.
Just respect a person and be on tume. Bonus points if you're early
"Sorry boss for being late...I was interviewed by Asian Boss on the way to the office "
I love how detailed and substantial your interviews are. I really appreciate the efforts done as I feel like I get a sincere insight from some of the population of the country. Major props!!
I have a lot of Japanese friends and whenever I invite them they always show up 30 mins or one hour late, sometimes they apologize, sometimes they don't, I guess they're only punctual when in Japan. I live in France btw
30 minutes before ???
Omg
Im sorry for always coming 10 to 20 minutes late for my appointments buddies
i always go 30 minutes before but my mom likes to go 1 hour... its a bit crazy imo
I always go to my appointments (friends or work) 20-30 minutes earlier, cause time is precious and I don't wanna waste anyone's time.
In Germany, if it’s a business or ‘official’ appointment, it’s advised to be 25-30 minutes earlier. Being too early, let’s say an hour, is considered impolite.
I live in Australia where in general things are pretty relaxed..
but i learned about punctuality as a young lad when i started working for ALDI supermarkets.
For those who don’t know about ALDI, its a german supermarket and ALDI Australia used exact same rules and systems as ALDI in Germany.
Employees were expected to arrive 15 minutes prior to starting his/her shift and if you arrived 10 minutes early, they would give you the shits and even a written warning (2 written warnings could get you disciplinary action & even fired..)
Mind you, those 15 minutes aren’t paid either. Whilst it did make work more efficient ,the efficiency came at the cost of the individual’s time.
The germans really know how to extract every bit of labour out of an employee each day and night. I guess that is what made them successful.
But In case of the Japanese, i think it has more to do with respect for others.
I had a friend who was always very late. He is not my friend anymore.
😮😮😮
You have to be punctual in Switzerland because the tram will leave without you. Make sure you are on the correct side of the platform too!
It always depends on where the person is from, there is already a huge difference in Europe between the countries, for example germans tend to be on time and italien are said to be more chilled and dont take time that serious.
Merry xmas Steve, Kei, Hiroko and all the team !! Ho ho ho
I am always punctual (barring unforeseen circumstances). Punctuality is a mark of commitment and a sign of respect for the others who have accorded you their time and company from their schedules.
I would love it if Swedes were more punctual; I'm pretty punctual myself and always try to arrive well before I'm supposed to be somewhere, and I can get annoyed even if someone I'm meeting is five mins late. It doesn't help that Stockholm's public transport is a complete disaster with trains, metro and buses being late more often than they're on time, either. I'd probably be right at home in Japan, and I wouldn't even think about it if my train arrived twenty seconds early or six seconds late. That sounds amazing in comparison to what I have to live with here.
Sweden is a monochronic country.
@femtondeseptember happy Christmas!!
I'm irish and our public transport isn't the best either although it has improved a ton!!
I would love to revisit Sweden, keep warm in your Baltic winter :)
femtondeseptember I am quite surprised. My city has quite a large population of Swedes and those of Swedish descent. My impression is they have always been very punctual.
First interviewed girl is quite pretty.
This is another reason that made me love Japan even more. When I visited Japan, it was like a dream come true. All I have to do is study their language and culture, save enough money to live in Japan.
Hi Kei - yeah I've visited Japan a lot of times (as a Sailor), and it's correct. We (Scandinavians) learned to "be there on Time".
My man Kei always looking clean.
The guy in pink hoodie 😍
In the UK we are also do not like to be late. It causes much distress when we visit foreign countries that do not share this particular value.
When I visited Tokyo, I really loved that the trains were all punctual. Very convenient. Get your shit together MTA.
As a person who's always late for everything all the time, this video really made me think about how much I'm always inconveniencing others. Will definitely try and put in the effort, and learn from the Japanese. Thanks for the great upload as always! :)
Finland is very punctual. It's very rare you have to wait for a buss over 5min extra.
I have a Japanese classmate and she always come to class late
We Filipinos are known to be tardy: your friends say the time but they don't show up after an hour or two. 😂 I'm always early before the time and it is irritating to wait after the said time. When my friends are late, I make sure that they treat me to something😂
Jade lu lol😂😂😂😂 same In India
I'm Filipino and I would actually hate that to happen to me. For me being punctual is of the upmost importance.
Jade lu It’s like that in LA latino culture too! I had to learn that. They’re just very casual about meetings and arrangements in general, took me some getting used to.
Very frustrating and they dont even apologize or make up for it. It's like how punctuality in japan is part of their culture is how tardiness is part of ours. That's why i always give em 30min and if they still dont show up, im out.
Also Caribbean ppl are ALWAYS late but not when it's to the airport
I agree on what most of them said, about being late for 5-10 and apologizes right away when meeting someone is acceptable and that they should let the other person know that they’re going to be late. For business meetings and work, I would say being punctual is really important. What the train did, “apologizing for being early “ is quite extensive because Japanese I know are very understand and it’s not that much of a big deal being early or late for a minute.
I tell my classmates to meet up to work on a project or something and they always show up an hour or hour and half late.
Love these interviews!! It's like an early Christmas present 😂😂
PS. Please do a video in Taiwan!!! And you guys should make a video about like biracial people in Asia!!
I agree. Arriving early indeed shows respect for other people's times. I also think of a person to be more responsible and trustworthy if he/she consistently arrives early for meetings. I live in Brazil and I think I care more about punctuality than most people.
"Foreigners" aren't a single people or entity. Some "foreigners" are known for being more punctual than others. Japanese aren't that unique when it comes to punctuality.
I learnt my lesson the hard way, when I was late for the bus back on tour in Japan. Tour guide yelled at me, questioning why I was late. I couldn't tell her I got lost in the moment of photographing Mt Fuji, so I just sat there, apologised and copped it from her. Definitely brought the mood down on the bus. People on the tour later came up to me and said I took that pretty well, I apologised them but they said "we're all on holiday, what's the rush?" It will be forever etched in my memory! Moral of the story is pretty obvious but more so important with the Japanese and possibly Germans.
I'm super punctual in comparison for others around me . Whenever i'm asked to arrive at a particular time i usually arrive before that . It's basically what i learnt from my parents. If due to some reason i'm not on time i feel discomfort because of that. The whole day is a mess for me because of that.
Please do an interview about one of the Filipino traits which is the “Filipino time” (usually late) . I would be glad to be asked on that interview . 🙏 I admire Asian Boss for featuring the diversity and differences of Asian people in general. More power to our channel ♥️👍🏼🇵🇭
I'm Indonesian born Chinese who used to live in Indonesia until I was 10 years old. In terms of punctuality, I'm very punctual to the point that I text to the people who I'm meeting for the day (usually friends for lunch dates or day out) even if I'm late for like 5 minutes. Or say sorry if I'm late for 2 minutes. If my friends were 5 or 10 minutes late, I'll get worried and text them asking them where they are.
I usually plan out how many hours it'll take me to get ready from waking up, taking a shower, do my make up, dry my hair, how long it takes me to walk to the nearest bus stop or the train station, to how long it takes to get to the meeting place/point. I tend to break my prep times in 30 minutes segments hahaha, so I can take my time and not rush. And then I usually end up arriving up to 20 minutes early :). Personally, I'm not very good at waiting for people when I'm meeting up with friends and stuff like that, including family members loll.
It's not just simply being annoyed. Time is the ultimate resource. You can take away material goods and money, but you can always undo it or even give back with interest. Once you take someone's time, you can't give it back.
Damn, his new hairstyle looks nice but he always looks good no matter what do!
I am late with my comments here because I live on the other side of planet earth. I live in a different time zone. Being on time I think is very important, because it shows what kind of principles you have and respect. In nature the sun rise and set at a certain time and the moon rise and go away at a certain time. Everything work on a time clock.
Dude! The mustache and haircut are ON POINT BRUH 😎👌
Okay but how about the japanese students I taught just outside of Tokyo that were often late for their English lessons... and I'm talking grown adults who are paying for said lessons, not school kids. I think it really depends on the person and situation honestly.
When Asian dude's like Kei can rock a full face of facehair. They always look badass 👏✌👍
To be fair most of scandinavia and germany take punctuality very seriously.
tharts one of the reasons many japanese respect germany.
As an American I was in many countries. Many of whom have the same philosophy.
Germany, 1987- an old lady had her arm shut in the door by the driver of a strassenbahn because she took too long. They were very stressed out from the monitoring and procedures they had to follow to prove their punctuality.
Though leaving early is not a good idea, but coming late is acceptable. In India we are used 20 hours delay in arrival of the trains and yet we enjoyed it. Once a teacher talked so much about punctuality to his students and unfortunately came late to the station. When the students asked him about this the teacher calmly replied to them that the train may arrive late but not the passengers. So leaving early is not a good option and try to learn the same from Indian railways.
Filipinos commonly arrive 30 minutes or even more than an hour late. it's so typical in my country that we have a term for arriving (really) late. we call it "filipino time".
"hey. dont you have an appointment at 9am?"
"dont worry. filipino time. it'll start at around 10."
I want to be punctual but MTA won’t let me. I can leave my house at the exact same time everyday but arrive at 5 different times.
Tokyo =/= Japan. Tokyo is a city of 30 million people, and everyone is rushing towards somewhere all the time. Trains are packed 24/7. Even a 15 seconds mismatch could cause an accident, it is essential to be precise and punctual for a big city like Tokyo.
People in Canada are ALWAYS late. It’s a standard thing to expect that every appointment with anyone will be delayed/later than the scheduled time. I always arrive to things 15-30 minutes early and can’t remember the last time I was late for something. I was going to make it on time for an interview and I ran to the office from like 2 km away because I wasn’t going to be early. I ended up having to wait like 15 minutes to start my interview anyways.
This is really insightful because I am going to have a meeting with Japanese friend 🥰
I lived in Kobe for a couple of years and my Japanese friend were the one who were late... like I am French I don’t mind waiting 30 min but it happens more than once than I’ve waited for an hour 😂😂 they bought me drinks like “sorry for the late” but I was okay since they said to me in advance that they may be late so I was able to ぶらぶら I think Kobe is really a multicultural city and maybe the 影響 from the foreigner community is strong xD Happened only in Kobe though
My friend from Kyoto/Osaka were always on time or 5min late so 😅😅
Kansai is not Tokyo xD
In NYC, MTA's trains can arrive 1 hour later and... It is completely okay. Or MTA's trains can suddenly change its route...it is completely okay. Or MTA's employees can miss some stations...it is completely okay. The company doesn't even bother to be punctual.
In Malaysia, always make sure to fix the time an hour earlier. Usually we are 30 minutes late. 😂
Lol. I have a love-hate relationship with punctuality. I can't bring myself to wake up to my alarms or follow a daily-whatever schedule for myself (like arriving to classes and such), yet when it comes to other obligations that involve me having to do something for someone else, I get anxious as shit when I'm not there on time. I just want to be more punctual with myself overall, I think I deserve that too xD
I live in the US and I’m punctual and arrive about 5 -10 minutes early like some of the people in the video, and earlier if the situation calls for it. I am Asian too though. I don’t know if I’d generalize that most Americans are not punctual, because it’s not like we’re not taught it. But I also know coworkers who come in late often because people aren’t as considerate over here as in Japan. That’s nice that Japanese people don’t want to make people wait and that they want to build trust by being on time.
damn my train is late a quarter hour each and everyday..hello from Germany! (btw thats considered good when you compare it to other countries around the globe)
Bruh, I live in Limerick Ireland, some days the buses are an hour and half late even tho they are supposed to go every thirty minutes.
I can't say I'm punctual, I often arrive 5-10 minutes late, occasionally up to an hour, but my friends don't mind that because they know I'm reliable when it really matters. When it's something really important for them I won't mind spending a few hours of my day (that also means being half an hour or so early when timing is critical) to help them and run late for other, less important things.
When i read about this incident i was so frustrated, last summer in my country in Africa a fifty year old man was waiting at the train station with his wife , the man had diabetes and heart disease, the train was late for over two hours, and of course nobody showed up for an apology, the man started to get angry and anxious, his wife tried to calm him down as much as she could , but he was so angry that he started to shake screaming « where is the manager » , he was looking for someone to give him any information, and of course nobody showed up , suddenly the man started to shake so badly that fell on the floor, he died from a heart attack , leaving his wife alone on that train station, .
I generally try to reach places 10-15 mins before. Don't like wasting other people's time and also hate being late. But also kind of have a pet peeve when people arrive late. It's like, there was a scheduled time to meet, are you are late for no reason. Or if say one train arrives at a destination 10 mins early and the next 10mins late, catch the early one.
It would be nice if you guys can discuss about suicide and depression. I think this issue has been rising up these days.
The host has a lovely accent that I would listen to over and over again
Style.
It was stressing to keep up with friends in Japan. When my Japanese friends texted me, they expected a response right away, but I'm not very good at that. I always have my phone on silent, so I would answer them later. I straight up lost friendships like that. A girl told me that I didn't value our friendship enough and that if I kept acting that way, she wouldn't want to see me again. They don't joke around with ponctuality.
Hahaha the buses that I use to travel to and from school are always 10-30 minutes late
The second uncle's view on time totally expanded my horizon.
Lol kiko mizuhara doppelganger
It is strict for working hours.
The time to leave is not protected.
Overtime hours are extended.
Welcome to Japanese companies.
Thanks for this interesting vide9🤭
In Italy be on time in every situation is strange.
This is true and now I am crying. I feel like I broke a company's trust because I was late on Sunday by thirty minutes. I was on time for a part-time job but because of misguided directions (the directions was for a different place), I was late. The boss was ok because I cried while apologizing. But, my classmate criticized me by saying"You Americans can just show up to work 30 minutes late because that is YOUR culture" (I was not trying to be late on purpose) and "Being punctuality about being on time" and "You should come 30 minutes earlier to figure out stuff". Now I feel like I am an idiot and on the bad side of the company. ;(
I worked with Japanese vendors and colleagues. They really value punctuality even if after they have lived overseas for a long time. It’s an ingrained trait that’s very admirable.
Kei, are you wearing a long padded coat like the trend in Korea? 😜😀
I thought I was a pretty punctual person until I started visiting Japan. I realized by being on time meeting friends, I'm already late because they've been waiting there at least 10 minutes before the appointed time. Now, whenever I meet someone there or have an appointment, I make sure I arrive 10 minutes to half an hour early to give myself some leeway for getting lost.
I always try to be punctual. But it's hard sometimes when buses and trains are so extremely unreliable.
Japan is at the forefront of this. They beg for forgiveness for an error in the time schedule of 20 seconds.
In my country, they flat out write on the time tables that buses and trains may arrive around 5 minutes early or 5 minutes later than the listed time in the schedule. And that's considered a "normal" everyday error.
Sometimes they're held up for several hours if you're really unlucky.
But if that happens, then naturally you call or text the people you're supposed to meet and tell them what happened. Even though the Japanese deem punctuality to be important, I don't think they would consider it reasonable to depart several hours on beforehand just to guarantee that you don't get screwed over by tardy train or bus traffic.
I arrive 3 hours early at all my appointments. If necessary, I sleep outside the building in order to be on time the next day. I would hate for the train to be out of service for some reason and me being unable to take it and reach my appointment premises. You never know.
Sometimes I arrive so early for an appointment that I miss another one that I had before it. My punctuality mindset always plays dirty little tricks on me.
In the end, I spend my life focusing on punctuality and work, but I feel miserable. I am contemplating seeing a psychiatrist for my problem, but it will just add more appointments again to my busy schedule.
I wish I was more easy-going in life but sadly I was raised under the precepts of Japanese's punctuality and work ethics.
On a more serious note, I think being punctual is cool.
Haha so true. I was in Japan a couple of months ago and met Japanese friends and we were always a bit late. They seem unamused but they were more lenient to us bc we're foreigners.
I use the bus a lot (even tho I live in Houston and having a car is a must) and it really pisses me off how late the buses are sometimes. They usually do come on time it in the instance of them being late they're often 30 minutes late.
i hate being late. i used to hate it so much i'd rather skip class (during school) than being late. i went to study abroad for college and i used to arrive an hour early so i can have time to change into my uniform, prepare the materials for the class etc. same for work, always came 30min-1hr early. i don't really think about what others will think about me when i'm late it's more like myself hate being late. i'm not really sure but i heard japanese doesn't really feel comfortable when people come too early too. last time i got an appointment for haircut (when i was living in japan) and waited outside (bc i came early) and walked in 5 min before the appointment. was it the right thing to do or is it okay just to wait inside?
At one of the places I worked at, you were only allowed to be late four times per year - or risk getting fired ASAP...
Nice beard!
Could you do a video about what artists are popular amongst South Korean youth (boys and girls separately)
I think we (the Dutch) also have punctuality in common with the Japanese. It’s definitely being frowned upon if you can’t meet on a agreed time. I do think that our train company should take notes from the Japanese tho because they only have a little over 91% punctuality score and that’s with a time slot of 5 minutes over and under their scheduled time of arrival.
In Italy, if you're 10-15 minutes late, you're actually on time (talking about going out with your friends for example)😂 but at work or at formal events punctuality is generally respected most of the time.
In Italy all people are late in meetings.
I love to be punctual in a meeting but I am so slow to prepare in the morning so I will arrive always late.
But I'll want to be super punctual in any meeting in the future and to be trusted from any people in particular Japanese and Scandinavian people where punctuality is a strong value !
That's the beauty of japanese cultures